CHCEDS409A Support students' literacy
learning
Release: 1
CHCEDS409A Support students' literacy learning Date this document was generated: 27 May 2012
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© Commonwealth of Australia, 2012 Community Services and Health Industry Skills Council
CHCEDS409A Support students' literacy learning
Modification History
Not Applicable
Unit Descriptor
Descriptor This unit describes the skills and knowledge
required by education support workers to work with
teachers to support students developing their literacy
skills, including oral language, reading and writing
skills
The unit provides skills and knowledge to enable
education support workers to work with the teacher
to develop resources to reinforce literacy skills
across the curriculum and to support students during
various phases in the acquisition of literacy
competence
Application of the Unit
Application This unit applies to education support work in a
variety of contexts and work is to be undertaken
with appropriate guidance, support and supervision
by a nominated teacher or other education
professional
Licensing/Regulatory Information
Not Applicable
Pre-Requisites
Not Applicable
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Employability Skills Information
Employability Skills This unit contains Employability Skills
Elements and Performance Criteria Pre-Content
Elements define the essential
outcomes of a unit of
competency.
The Performance Criteria specify the level of
performance required to demonstrate achievement of the
Element. Terms in italics are elaborated in the Range
Statement.
Elements and Performance Criteria
ELEMENT PERFORMANCE CRITERIA
1. Encourage and model spoken
language 1.1 Identify and use a variety of styles of verbal
communication
1.2 Demonstrate the different functions of language in
interactions
1.3 Monitor students' understanding and use of
language through observation, listening and conversation,
and provide information to teachers to inform planning
1.4 Identify factors affecting language acquisition
and discuss with the teacher/s
1.5 Use language appropriate to students' culture, age,
abilities, interests and needs
1.6 Use spoken language to effectively interact with
students
1.7 Use explicit talk about language to scaffold
learning
1.8 Model language appropriate to the situation, the
purpose and the audience for students
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ELEMENT PERFORMANCE CRITERIA
2. Support students to read and
interpret texts 2.1 Determine strategies for supporting students in
the interpretation of texts in consultation with the
teacher/s
2.2 Implement planned strategies to enhance the
abilities of students and address their individual needs
2.3 Encourage students to problem-solve in order to
make meaning from texts
2.4 Use explicit talk to focus students on specific
literacy skills
3. Enhance students' literacy
skills through writing
activities
3.1 Use accurate terminology, as planned with
teacher/s, to support students' learning
3.2 Implement strategies devised with teacher/s to
develop students' skills in the use of written language
3.3 Use planned strategies to reinforce literacy skills
across all key learning areas
3.4 Encourage students to improve spelling skills
using strategies appropriate to students' developmental
levels
3.5 Support students to plan their writing tasks
3.6 Encourage students to critically reflect on the
effectiveness of their writing
3.7 Support students to effectively edit their writing
4. Design resources to support
literacy development 4.1 Plan learning environments and activities in
advance with the teacher/s
4.2 Design resources, in consultation with teacher/s,
to reinforce literacy skills, while fulfilling curriculum
requirements
4.3 Design resources to suit the developmental level
of the students, as determined by the teacher/s
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Required Skills and Knowledge
REQUIRED SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE
This describes the essential skills and knowledge and their level required for this unit.
Essential knowledge:
The candidate must be able to demonstrate essential knowledge required to effectively do
the task outlined in elements and performance criteria of this unit, manage the task and
manage contingencies in the context of the identified work role
These include knowledge and understanding of:
The relationships between spoken language and literacy
The definition of 'texts' and range of texts that students need to interpret
Explicit talk to support student comprehension
Terminology of literacy as used by supervising teacher/s
Questioning techniques that scaffold learning and assist students to problem-solve
Language and literacy developmental continuum appropriate to the students being
supported
The differences between the roles and responsibilities of teachers and education support
workers
Essential skills:
It is critical that the candidate demonstrate the ability to:
Adapt spoken language to meet the needs of students and learning programs
Apply knowledge of stages of development in language and literacy
Use specific strategies to scaffold student learning as directed by a teacher
Use a range of strategies to support students with the acquisition of literacy skills and
knowledge
In addition, the candidate must be able to effectively do the task outlined in elements and
performance criteria of this unit, manage the task and manage contingencies in the context of
the identified work role
These include the ability to demonstrate application of skills in:
Communication
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REQUIRED SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE
active listening
speaking - including explicit talk, questioning
writing - use of genres, editing, spelling
consultation - with teachers
Forming letters in scripts appropriate to the phase of learning of the students
Problem-solving and scaffolding problem-solving
Initiative - to use appropriate support strategies when opportunities arise and to inform
teachers of student abilities
Evidence Guide
EVIDENCE GUIDE
The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the
Performance Criteria, Required Skills and Knowledge, the Range Statement and the
Assessment Guidelines for this Training Package.
Critical aspects for assessment
and evidence required to
demonstrate this unit of
competency:
The individual being assessed must provide evidence
of specified essential knowledge as well as skills
This unit may be assessed either on the job or off the
job through an appropriate workplace simulation
Assessment should ensure the candidate addresses the
elements and performance criteria on at least three
occasions, over a period of time
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EVIDENCE GUIDE
Access and equity considerations: All workers in community services should be aware
of access, equity and human rights issues in relation
to their own area of work
All workers should develop their ability to work in a
culturally diverse environment
In recognition of particular issues facing Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander communities, workers
should be aware of cultural, historical and current
issues impacting on Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander people
Assessors and trainers must take into account
relevant access and equity issues, in particular
relating to factors impacting on Aboriginal and/or
Torres Strait Islander clients and communities
Context of and specific resources
for assessment:
This unit can be assessed independently, however
holistic assessment practice with other community
services units of competency is encouraged
Assessment requires access to a range of
opportunities defined in the Range Statement,
including access to:
an educational work environment or simulation of
realistic work environment to enable candidates to
demonstrate their knowledge and skills while
working with teachers and students
literacy terminology used in the educational
organisation
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EVIDENCE GUIDE
Method of assessment: Assessment methods suitable for valid and reliable
assessment of this competency may include, but are
not limited to, a combination of two or more of:
case studies
demonstration
observation
questioning - oral and written
scenarios, simulation or role plays
workplace projects
authenticated evidence from the workplace and/or
training courses
Assessment methods should reflect work demands,
such as literacy, and the needs of particular groups,
such as:
people in rural and remote locations
people with disabilities
people from culturally and linguistically diverse
backgrounds
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
women
young people
older people
Range Statement
RANGE STATEMENT
The Range Statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different
work environments and situations that may affect performance. Add any essential operating
conditions that may be present with training and assessment depending on the work
situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional
contexts.
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RANGE STATEMENT
Styles of verbal communication
may include:
Informal
Formal
Transactional e.g. greetings, shopping, giving
directions/instructions
Reading aloud
Recounting
Reciting
Interrogating
Functions of language may
include:
Informative:
the communication of information
Expressive:
reports feelings or attitudes of the speaker/writer/
subject to evoke feelings in the listener/reader
Directive:
language used for the purpose of causing (or
preventing) overt actions
To establish and maintain relationships
To influence
Factors affecting language
acquisition may include:
Limited opportunities for practice
Health issues
Socioeconomic issues
Home language other than English
Planned or incidental learning opportunities
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RANGE STATEMENT
Use spoken language to
effectively interact may include:
Use of phrases and jargon that the student uses
Using name used by family or friends/peers
Using language specific to an area of the student's
interest e.g. Football/fashion
Suiting language to the student's age and level of
comprehension
Encouraging participation in group or individual
discussions
Reading books, telling stories, reciting poems and
rhymes out loud
Involving students in songs, rhymes, jokes, plays,
presentations
Informal conversation / chatting
Varied intonation (for example different intonation
used when asking questions, making statements,
giving commands)
Clear articulation to support comprehension
Appropriate pronunciation
The ability to transition between verbal cultural
norms
Discussing student's selection of materials/photos
collected at home
Using digital photos to stimulate recall, prediction,
discussion, vocabulary about a class activity or
excursion
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RANGE STATEMENT
Explicit talk (talking the talk)
may include speaking aloud
about:
Thinking processes involved in constructing
communications ('I' statements)
Open-ended questioning about meaning and
alternative ways to convey meaning
The structure of a sentence
The purpose of the language used
The effectiveness of language used for the chosen
audience
Processes used to determine meaning
Processes used to work out the spelling of words
How a word may be broken into syllables to help
with spelling or meaning
Relating the new to the known
Specific strategies devised for specific purposes in
consultation with teacher/s
Scaffold learning involves
providing temporary support to
students to enable their progress
toward independent thinking and
learning
It may include:
Relating new knowledge to student's current
knowledge
Breaking new information into smaller chunks
Approaching new information in a familiar way or by
referring to known information
Encouraging students to concentrate on new
information
Providing achievable challenges
Reinforcing attempts to use new information
Encouraging repeated use of new information to
achieve automaticity
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RANGE STATEMENT
Texts may be drawn from many
genres including:
Literary texts - characterised by the aesthetic use of
language and the imagination to explore
understandings about human experience through real
and imagined (including virtual) worlds.
Examples of literary texts include:
narrative picture books
novels/e-books/short stories
poems (ballads, lyrics, sonnets)
plays/drama
song lyrics
biographies/ autobiographies
feature films
Everyday texts - those associated with education,
leisure, work, family and daily life:
factual texts/reference books/dictionaries
DVDs (feature films)
web-linked computer games
personal email/on-line discussions/SMS messages
letters/reports
catalogues/advertising
signs (street names, directional signs)
Mass-media texts - those produced in a variety of
paper and electronic media for a mass audience:
television programs
newspaper stories
magazine features
radio talkback
television news
feature films
web pages
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RANGE STATEMENT
Strategies for supporting students
in the interpretation of texts may
include:
Orientation to the text
Asking for students' opinions about parts of the text
Asking students to compare the text to other texts
Asking students to compare the text to their own
experiences
Encouraging students to analyse and/or criticise the
text
Encouraging students' consideration of the genre of
the text
Encouraging students' consideration of the
effectiveness of the text's messages
Engaging in discussion that summarises or
encourages comment about information in the text
Utilising Rosenblatt's Five Response Types to
encourage deeper understanding of the text's meaning
Encourage students to
problem-solve by:
Modelling problem-solving strategies aloud (talking
the talk)
Accepting and valuing students' attempts to solve
problems
Encouraging self-help
Using open ended questioning
Referring to similar problems and how they were
solved
Encouraging risk-taking
Allowing sufficient thinking time (wait time)
Not interrupting the child's reading
Offering support which provides least support first,
and moving to most support only if required
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RANGE STATEMENT
Accurate terminology will depend
on the phase of learning being
supported and may include
selections from this glossary of
terms:
Active voice:
refers to a verb group where the subject of the
clause is the actor or 'do-er' (e.g. 'the child washed
the window' as opposed to 'the window was
washed by the child' which is in passive voice)
Antonym:
words that have an opposite or contrasting
meaning to a given word (e.g. 'alive' is an
antonym of 'dead')
Clause:
a unit of meaning grouped around a process
(verb); the basic building block of language. (e.g.
'I finished my work, even though I was tired'; My
boss, who's moving to another department soon,
is organising a party')
Decoding:
processes involved in changing written letters into
spoken sounds to arrive at the meaning of the
written text - a bit like 'breaking the code'
Discourse:
a Discourse (upper-case D) is a socially accepted
association among ways of using language, of
thinking, feeling, believing, valuing and acting
that can be used to identify oneself as a member
of a socially meaningful group or social network
Encoding:
process of changing spoken language into
symbols of written language (writing) similar to
converting spoken language into a code
Field:
the topic of language in a particular context,
realised through processes, participants and
circumstances
Foreground:
make the focus by placing at the beginning of a
clause, sentence, paragraph or text
continued ...
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RANGE STATEMENT
Glossary (contd): Genre:
any staged, purposeful social activity which is
accomplished through language (e.g. making a
purchase in a shop, a letter to the editor, meeting
procedures)
genres which are valued and common in formal
schooling contexts include recounts, descriptions,
reports, narratives, arguments and discussions
texts can be macro-genres; that is, they consist of
two or more genres in achieving their overall
purpose
for example, in writing an argument against the
logging of rainforests, the writer might include a
report about the trees that grow in rainforests and
the animals that need the rainforests to survive
Graphophonic code/graphphonics:
the set of letters and sounds and rules for using
them to convert spoken language into written
language
the grapho part of the word is derived from the
Greek root graphos meaning to write and the
phonic part is derived from the Greek root phonos
meaning sound
Language:
language (both oral and written) is a semiotic
system that uses words, sentences and paragraphs
as its set of signs and codes to convey meaning
Literacy:
the flexible and sustainable mastery of a
repertoire of practices with the texts of traditional
and new communications technologies via spoken
language, print, and multimedia
Metalanguage:
a language for talking about language, its patterns
and conventions
Metalinguistic awareness
awareness of the form of language rather than its
meanings i.e. its patterns, sounds and conventions
examples: caterpillar is a long word (even if a
caterpillar is a short little creature); want I go
(incorrect order) for I want to go.
Modality
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RANGE STATEMENT
refers to the aspect of speaker/writer judgement or
assessment of probability, usuality, obligation and
inclination (e.g. 'he might be the one' 'she always
wins' 'I always have to help')
continued ...
Glossary (contd): Mode:
concerned with the medium and channel of
communication
broadly speaking, it refers to whether the channel
of communication is spoken or written, and is the
role that language has in the meaning making
Morphemes:
the smallest units of meaning in a word
examples: sighs (two morphemes sigh + the plural
marker s); size (one morpheme); pretty (one
morpheme but two syllables)
Multiliteracies:
literacy educators use the term multiliteracies to
focus on the ways in which literacy education will
continue to change in order to equip students with
the skills necessary to be active and informed
citizens in present and future societies, and to
address the challenges posed by a changing world
Onset-rime:
the division of a word into the initial consonant or
consonant blend and the following syllables
Examples: p-ot (pot): str-ing (string): m-y (my)
Passive voice:
refers to a verb group where the subject of the
clause is the goal or the receiver of the action (the
done-to) e.g. 'the car was washed by the child' as
opposed to 'the child washed the car' which is
active
the passive voice is used when the speaker/writer
wishes to foreground the goal of the action as in:
'the dried ingredients are added to the mixture'
'the car gets serviced at the garage'
'taxes were raised after the election'
Pedagogy:
all the various aspects associated with teaching
including teaching, assessing and planning
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RANGE STATEMENT
Phonemes:
the smallest element of sound that allows us to
differentiate between words (examples: cat, rat or
big, bag)
the sounds represented by those letters are
phonemes
phonemes are the smallest building blocks of our
language
continued ...
Glossary (contd): Phonemic awareness:
concepts about the structure of words (individual
phonemes)
Phonics:
a term commonly used instead of the term
graphophonics
the word makes reference to the 'sound' aspect of
the word and does not include the 'letter' aspect
phonics and graphophonics are used
interchangeably
Phonological awareness:
concepts about the way spoken words sound
including an understanding that words can be
broken into syllables, an understanding of
alliteration, onset and rime, and rhyme
Reading:
a problem-solving process involving the use of
cognitive, cultural and social resources
Scaffold:
in pedagogy: temporary support given to students
to enable their progress toward independent
thinking and learning
this support may take the form of explanations,
examples, pictures or diagrams, with teacher
modelling of procedures, responses etc
the amount of scaffolding is deliberately reduced
as the student progresses
Schematic structure:
the distinctive way in which a text is structured,
having identifiable stages or parts which enable it
to achieve its purpose
Semantic or semantics:
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RANGE STATEMENT
meaning
Semantic cueing system:
the meaning clues the reader is able to use to
decode and to make meaning
clues relate to all different kinds of knowledge the
reader has and related to the reading
Subject-verb agreement:
refers to where a plural subject requires a plural
finite (verb) form (e.g. 'chairs were ...') or a
singular subject requires a singular finite form
(e.g. 'a chair was ...')
Synonym:
a word with a similar meaning to another
(e.g. 'youthful' is a synonym of 'young')
continued ...
Glossary (contd): Syntax:
word order: the rules that govern the way the
words are ordered in sentences
Syntactic cueing system:
the clues the reader is able to use about possible
words because of their knowledge of syntax as
they decode and make meaning
Teacher talk:
the term used to refer to the specific way teachers
and support personnel use language to interact
with the children for the purpose of supporting
their learning
Tense:
the setting in time of a clause (e.g. the primary
tenses are past - 'I went', present - 'I am going',
and future 'I will go')
Text:
most broadly, this term is used to refer to
anything which can be read for meaning. A text is
a combination of signs selected and organised to
convey meaning
Theme:
refers to what is foregrounded in a clause, which
focuses the listener/reader on how the text is
unfolding
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RANGE STATEMENT
Strategies to develop students'
skills in the use of written
language may include:
Helping students to have a go at unknown words
Modelling (by an adult) of spelling strategies
Scribing for beginning writers
Using temporary spelling as a tool for early writing
Written conversations
String sentences
Transformations for supported writing
Using a digital camera to support writing
Spelling skills may be enhanced
through the development of:
Visual awareness:
recognising the shapes and patterns of letters and
words
Morphemic awareness:
recognising patterns of meaning within and
between words
Graphophonic awareness:
recognition of relationships between shapes
(letters or groups of letters) and sounds
Etymological awareness:
recognition of the historical origins of words and
their meaning
Plan writing tasks may include: Deciding on the purpose
Determining the audience
Deciding what the message is
Researching specific information and/or references
Structuring the writing to best convey the message to
the audience
Drafting and editing
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RANGE STATEMENT
Encouraging students to critically
reflect on their writing may
include:
Questioning:
Does it say what you want it to say?
Is the message clearly articulated?
Is it easy to read?
Is the format inviting?
Is there any unnecessary material?
Is all the necessary information presented?
Is there an effective conclusion?
Asking students to read their writing aloud
Reading parts of the writing aloud to the student to
help identify problems
Suggesting comparison against exemplar texts
Effectively edit writing may
include checking and revising:
The structure of paragraphs
The structure of sentences
The information contained in the text
The flow of the writing
References
Formatting
Spelling
Applicable genre structure
Language/ tone/ vocabulary suits the audience and
the purpose
Learning environments may
include:
Classrooms
Libraries
Laboratories
Outdoor areas
Community spaces
Art areas
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RANGE STATEMENT
Resources may include: Charts
Posters
Games
Handouts
Displays
Labels
Workbooks
Reference materials
Unit Sector(s)
Not Applicable